New Presumptive Conditions for Agent Orange Telehealth and Online VA Medical Appointments

Included in the annual National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, is the inclusion of a provision that will affect Vietnam veterans suffering from three new presumptive conditions thought to be caused by exposure to the chemical herbicide Agent Orange. The three new conditions are:

• Bladder Cancer: Cancer that affects the cells of the bladder.
• Hypothyroidism: A condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce enough of certain crucial hormones.
• Parkinson’s-like symptoms: A condition with symptoms such as tremors, slow movement, impaired speech and muscle stiffness that resembles Parkinson’s disease but is not formally diagnosed as such.

An estimated 34,000 Vietnam War veterans suffering from these conditions may now be eligible for benefits. Typically, presumptive conditions are determined by the VA, based on significant supporting evidence from scientific studies. However, by including this measure in the NDAA, Congress effectively bypassed the VA and determined, by statute, that the three conditions should be added to the list.

Veterans and/or their survivors who previously filed and were denied benefits for one of these three new presumptive conditions automatically reviewed with the need to refile a claim. The VA will send letters to impacted veterans and survivors.

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Telehealth and online medical appointments will remain a key part of veteran health care even after the pandemic disappears, the Veterans Affairs secretary promised recently. But department officials may need Congress’ help to ensure that.

During an appearance before the Senate Appropriations Committee, VA Secretary Denis McDonough noted that online video appointments between department physicians and patients are about 18 times higher now than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.

“There were almost 230,000 visits at the end of February this year,” he said. “Nearly 2 million vets have had one or more episodes of video care. That tells us that there’s massive demand.”

That said, the department has delayed or canceled more than 19 million medical appointments over the last year but hopes to reschedule them in the months ahead. But McDonough noted there has been reluctance to embrace the change among some staffers accustomed to in-person meetings, something he said he will work to address.

“We’re institutionalizing that,” he said. “We want to maintain it because it’s ease of access for vets who don’t need to be seen in person. There’s going to continue to need to be things that are done in person, but I think as a system we recognize the huge efficiency gains and huge satisfaction gains [that] come from vets spending less time traveling to our facilities while still getting good care.”